Streaming Watch: 11 Great TV Shows Now Available On Amazon Prime

For those of you looking for an escape from what's left of the summer festivities, there are some great options on Amazon Prime. Last week, we offered you a selection of excellent, currently-airing TV shows consisting of three seasons or fewer, which were available streaming on Netflix. Today, we have a new list with the same criteria for shows that are not available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Those looking to get caught up on some worth-watching TV series ahead of their respective new seasons may want to give these a try.

What if the creepy fairytales your parents told you when you were young were real? Grimm explores that scenario in it's own fun, procedural way, centering on Detective Nick Burkhardt, a man who discovers he's a "Grimm," a descendant of a long line of hunters who track down the supernatural beings that inspired the classic (and in some cases, lesser known) fairytales. While these villainous monsters and beasts look just like regular people to the rest of us, Nick can see them for what they really are, and it's up to him to protect his community from the dangers they pose, while also keeping the nature of his calling a secret from his friends and co-workers. That includes his girlfriend Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and detective partner Hank (Russell Hornsby). But Nick proves to be something of a modern Grimm, which means he's openminded enough to associate with some of the dark and dangerous beasts his kind occasionally hunts, including Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), a "Blutbad" (or big-bad-wolf) who's sworn off his natural predatory diet and is living a clean life.

Nick, Monroe and their later-introduced Fuchsbau friend Rosalie (Bree Turner) make an unlikely trio, but a formidable one when it comes to facing off against dark and dangerous creatures. And it's the dynamic of this trio, added to Juliette and Hank's involvement, that makes Grimm work so well, particularly in the later part of the first season and throughout the second season when we really start to see the show and characters settling into a groove. Season 2 rewards viewers even further as it grows more and more serialized. Amazon recently added Season 2, so you can get completely caught up before the series returns for Season 3 this October.

You might have heard of this next one, if not the current contemporary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes from the BBC (that seems unlikely at this point), then certainly from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the many previous interpretations to hit both the big and small screens. That makes it sound like the character is played out but Benedict Cumberbatch plays the resident of 221B Baker St. unlike any other we've seen and is an absolute joy to watch.

Of course, the socially inept for-hire practitioner of deduction is nothing without his partner in crime-solving and The World's End's Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson (military surgeon turned amateur blogger and sleuth/sounding board) is equally compelling. As are the rest of the ensemble, including several legit Inspectors who don't like the eccentric 'consultant' sniffing around their crime scenes. It’s quite a delight, with the winning characterizations, endless amounts of enjoyable banter and impeccably structured, emotional storytelling.

The third series of Sherlock is gearing up to air on its native BBC (always a few months before surfacing on PBS in the US) so there's plenty of time to catch up with the six, 90 minute episodes. Yep, it's basically six Sherlock Holmes movie mysteries - all on Amazon Prime ready to be watched - and they're all better than a lot theatrical releases. Guy Ritchie's got nothing on Paul McGuigan. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Doctor Who Moffat, Sherlock stars Cumberbatch, Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey and Andrew Scott.